Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy believes likely No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence can have the same impact on the city of Jacksonville with the Jaguars as Colts legend Peyton Manning did in Indy.
Dungy told Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union that Manning's quick rise among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL transformed Indianapolis from a Pacers town to a Colts town in the early 2000s. The Super Bowl champion said he feels Lawrence has a similar gravitas in how he can galvanize an entire city:
“What Peyton did was turn the city from an [NBA] Indiana Pacers town into an Indianapolis Colts town,” Dungy said, via Frenette. “I think he had a great impact on his team and us as a city. That’s what those generational quarterbacks do. They lift the ability of everybody around them.
“I’ve been around Trevor a lot at Clemson. I think he has that same ability to do that for the Jaguars.”
Lawrence has already manifested ample excitement in Jacksonville.
Jaguars fans sent the Clemson star and his wife, Marissa Mowry, wedding gifts after the two tied the knot earlier this month. Lawrence and Mowry responded by donating $20,000 to Jacksonville charities.
Of course, Jacksonville is not quite like Indianapolis. The city lacks another major sports franchise. But that would only seem to enhance the anticipation with respect to Lawrence's impending arrival.
The Jaguars have not had a true franchise quarterback in years. Mark Brunell was arguably the last franchise signal-caller, and his last year with the Jags came in 2002.
Needless to say, expectations for Lawrence are high. But Dungy seems to believe he can have a resounding effect on the franchise and city at large.
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